S L O W - M O T I O N

P U L L E D  P O R K

W/ P U R P L E  S L A W 

&  S W E E T  C H I L I  

C R E A M  C H E E S E 

Where to begin with this? Well, let's rewind to a couple years ago when I first got a Pinterest account (basically when my life became so much more unproductive). I naturally made a food board called "MMM...". While browsing & drooling my life away I stumbled upon this mind-blowingly, vivid & seductive looking sandwich! 

Right?? Those colors, that elegance & that class all in a bun. I ended up making them for my two girlfriends for a little potluck & they came out really good! Forward to today.. I'm stuffed. I'm so happy.. & I'm wondering so damn hard why it took me this long to make again!

There's just too many good things out there to cook ^______^

A few Sundays ago my fiancé.. OMG I DIDN'T EVEN MENTION THAT I GOT ENGAGED!! I GOT ENGAGED!! Here we are in a canyon that seems not apart of this world freshly engaged! 

So we hung out with our friends Joe & Kaylyn. Our plan was brunch! Then SoWa got brought up.. hello FOOD TRUCKS! 

We kicked things off with a Lychee Slush from Sweet Bubble. Wow was it so perfect for that 90º+ day! Since we were starving we went with the tried & true dumplings from Moyzilla. So. Good. 

One lap around the lot full of 15+ food trucks & I turned around for what caught my eyes.. "Bulgogi Rib Eye Steak with Kimchi Scallion Slaw + Sweet Chili Cream Cheese STUFFED IN A SOPAPILLA" from Stuffed By Papi. Wahhh YES! The sopapilla (pronounced so-pa-peeya) is the softest, fluffiest fried dough ever. Please let me die eating this sandwich.

Moral of the story? The key & most crucial difference between the two handfuls of heaven was that freaking sweet chili cream cheese sauce, guys! So ever since I had that one at SoWa I had to make the pulled pork again.

Alas, here we (takes a nice sip of beer) finally are! An updated recipe for the AZN-styled pulled pork sammiches.. 

PS! There's literally nothing more wonderful in this world than to come home to a crockpot of goodness & the whole entire building of your condo smelling like sweet, fatty, meat.. <3

Ingredients:
Sandwich/ Hamburger Buns, Challah, Tortillas etc!
A piece of dat pork butt (~2lbs)
2 tbsp Chinese five spice powder
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1/4 cup Soy sauce
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp Adobo
1 tbsp Smoked paprika
1 tbsp Cayenne
1 tbsp Black pepper

For the Slaw:
1 Red Cabbage 
1 bunch of cilantro
1 tbsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp Fish sauce
1 tbsp Sugar
Juice of 1 lime

For the magic:
1 8oz tub of cream cheese
1/2 cup of sweet chili sauce


Directions:

1. Prep the butt to get ready for the slow cooker! Rinse & plop her in. Whisk together all of your spices & sauces & add to the slow cooker. I set mine up for LOW on 8hrs.. perfect for turning on in the morning before I leave for work.
2. Slice cabbage in half & in half again. Cut into thin strips working from the sides going in towards the heart of the cabbage.. sooo pretty.
3. Cut your cilantro off where the leaves start to form & chop into small pieces.
4. Throw cabbage & cilantro together in a large tupperware container while adding in the other ingredients. Let this sit in the fridge covered for at least an hour to get the flavors all mingly! Taste it now though- isn't it so crunchy & yummy!?!!! You can even add pepper flakes to it if you want (;
5. In another tupperware add cream cheese & sweet chili sauce. Mix mix mix mix!! This totally reminds me of crab rangoons & that's probably why I ate some with my fingers while mixing.
   
   
   
6. Get home & get so damn excited about how yummy & dumb GOOD that crockpot smells.
7. Take two forks & start to PUUUUUULLLLL the PORK!! Yeahhhhh baby!     
    
   
   
8. Transfer all the pulled pork into a dish- feel free to pour some juice over it but I ditched most of it because I'm trying to be healthy or something.. or something.
9. Toast your buns!
10. To assemble: Smear sweet chili cream cheese onto bottom bun (I used challah, but brioche would be bad ass too!). Add your hot pulled pork on top. Next, top with your purple slaw. Finish with your top bun & BOOM!! You are in PULLED PORK PARADISE :D

Obviously pair this with a nice beer like Green Flash's 30th Street Pale Ale!

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings & please let me know if you make this!! Oofz, look at that sweet & creamy cheese spread..

C O L D, S P I C Y  C H I C K E N
& N O O D L E  S A L A D
( lazy girl's spring rolls )

Ahhh.. potlucks! There isn't anthing I love more than a huge gathering of people & FOOD!! Holy smokes. My first potluck at the new job was such a success. There were over 20+ kinds of foods/desserts & we raised over $500 to donate for a good cause. Even better, the president is matching it!  [: 

I usually love to roll up spring rolls especially in the summer but somehow this time around I thought, "Hmm.. I'm sooo busy & I really could save so much time by just making it a salad!" Poof! What a hit it was, too. 

A fellow foodie/ coworker loved it so much that he asked for the recipe twice! Uhh.. how perfect (since I haven't posted a new recipe in awhile)!

The reason why this dish is so good is because of all the fresh herbs & veggies you get. Throw in some of that sweet, spicy, fishy nước chấm sauce & I guarantee your tastebuds will be in heaven. 

This made two dishes worth of salad~ 12 servings. Try it out!

Ingredients:

1 package Rice Noodles

4 Chicken Breasts
Mint

Thai Basil

Cilantro

4 Carrots

4 Cucumbers

1 Red bell peppers

Beansprouts

Crushed peanuts

Fried Shallots

Chili-Lime Vinaigrette:

Sugar

Water

Lime juice

Fish sauce

Thai chili peppers

Garlic

Directions:

1. Boil a pot of water & add your rice noodles. Cook until soft. Make sure to read the instructions because this depends on the size of noodle! 
2. Drain & rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Mix in a small amount of olive oil to separate & use kitchen shears to cut up the long bundles of noodles into smaller pieces.
3. Prep veggies. Rinse all herbs & take leaves off of stems. Cut carrots, cucumbers, & bell peppers into bite-sized strips.  
4. Cut your chicken (you can cook it any way you’d like- summer= grill) into nice strips.
5. In a large serving dish or bowl mix veggies, noodles & chicken together.
6. Optional! Top with crushed peanuts & fried shallots (this you can get at an Asian market or do yourself!) Also, I stuck some peppers in there for fun [;

To make the sauce:

1. In a mortar add 4 garlic cloves & 1-4 thai chili peppers- muddle with pestle. Try using 1 pepper first because they can be pretty, pretttttty hot! (Another way is putting the garlic & peppers in a ziplock bag & pounding them out with a rolling pin or bottom of a bottle!)
2. Melt 2 tbsp of sugar with 1 tbsp oil in a pot until you get a nice caramel- about 3 minutes while stirring.
3. Add 1/2 cup of water to the caramel & stir to dissolve the sweetness.
4. Once all the sugar is melted you get a nice brown colored sauce- let it cool for a few minutes outside or add a couple ice cubes.
5. Add the juice of a whole lime to the sauce, 2-4 tbsp of fish sauce & the smushed up garlic & peppers.
6. Taste! This can be as sweet or sour or as spicy as you’d like so add more of either ingredients to match your flavor. If you like it more saltier than sweet add more fish sauce. Like sweeter? Add a little sugar- or even agave!

#POTLUCKSFOREVER !!! Oh & making posters/ banners also tickle my fancy ^______^

S C A L L O P  S C A M P I 

W/ Z U C C H I N I  P A S T A

&  S A U V  B L A N C 

Spring! I mean Summer! I mean it's SPRING!! Hello hello to all you sexy seafood noms out there!

This was something I made with my new spiralizer that was surprisingly a huge hit with Todd! He isn't the biggest fan of scallops so I was happy he ate it [:

I seriously think zucchini noodles are so fun to eat. You basically take a zuke & spin it around to make these pasta-like noodles that taste NOTHING like zucchini! Witchcraft? Sorcery? I don't know I don't care just let's keep doing it.

If you do not have a spiralizer do not fret my lovelies. Take a peeler & peel long strips from your zuke. Do both sides & then the other two shorter sides. Line them up & cut into strips, BOOOOOOOM..  you just made zucchini noodles! Exciting I freaking know!

The recipe is so simple (like all my recipes really) so you have no reason to not make it. So go & make this! 

Ingredients:

2 Zucchinis (spiralized)

1 packet of Cherry tomatoes cut in halves

1 Red onion (chopped)

Juice of 1 juicy ass lemon 

1 cup of Sauvignon Blanc 

1/2 lb of Fresh Scallops

1/2 cup chopped Basil

1 tbsp minced Garlic

2 tbsp Unsalted Butter

Directions:

1. Rinse & dry your scallops. Season with salt & pepper!

2. Heat up a skillet on medium high heat & melt 1 tbsp of yo butttahhhhh yeaaah ;) ;)

3. Put those bivalve mollusks in there & sear on each side for about 2 minutes. Take them off once cooked. 

4. Melt the second half of your butter & add to it garlic, red onions, cherry tomatoes & basil. Simmer! Add your wine after a minute or two.

5. Drink a little white wine now. Do it. Mmmmm.... wine ^______^

6. Once all that begins to get nice & married up throw your scallops back into the pan & get all the flavors to mingle some more.

7. Last but not least turn OFF your heat & add your zucchini noodles! The zukes will give off some moisture but this makes for a yummier dish.

Ta-da!! A super easy summer dinner recipe :]  I know.. I need to update more regularly! It's so hard to do with the cutest KITTEN IN THE WORLD AROUND ALL THE TIME GUYS. 

"hi my name is yumi (you-me) & i'm the reason my mommy doesn't blog much anymore.. meow!"

G R E E N  T E A
M A T C H A
M O C H I  C A K E

Blahhhh! Do you ever get into dumb funks? The ones where you just want to lay in bed all afternoon.. from the defeated feeling of not finding the kitten of your dreams after going to 4 different animal shelters in the morning!?!! Yeahh.. 

As I was laying there all pooped & depressed I remembered something that I've been wanting to make & boom! Instant motivation [: 

Super simple & super freaking amazing tasting. The rice flour gives the cake a chewiness (think boba!) that makes it really fun to eat. You can buy this at any asian market by the dried noodles.

I can't wait to share this for my friends & family. I actually made this before dinner so guess what? Life's too short, eat dessert first!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Rice Flour

1 Cup Almond Milk

2 Cups Sugar

2 Eggs

2 Tbsp Butter

2 tsp Matcha Powder

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (Häagen-Dazs or Talenti!)

Directions:

1. Preheat that lil oven of yours to 350º 

2. Throw that buttah in a small bowl & zap it quickly for a few seconds in the microwave. I did just 20 something seconds.

3. Mix together all ingredients until ultra smooth & velvety. Oohhh yeaaah.

4. Butter up your baking dish or use a baking spray to ensure no sticking!!

5. Pour the green tea cake batter into the dish & plop 'er in! Set the clock for 44 minutes.

6. Once baked, let cool for another couple of minutes. Be patient! 

Serve with vanilla ice cream (make sure to get the kind with vanilla bean specks!) & dust a little extra matcha powder on top.. mmmm yessssss ^_____^ 

 P O R T L A N D,  M E
W E E K E N D  R E C A P

Hey there internet! My bearded boyfriend Todd & I just got back home from another super satisfying trip up north. My oh my.. Why don't we live up there?! There are so many good breweries & restaurants!!

The result of such things mentioned above I've accumulated a handful of pretty pictures. I figured rather than be one of those people that overshare on Instagram I could use my blog to funnel (mmm..funnel cake) all my pictures into! 

hola!

We made a pitstop in Kittery & Portsmouth, NH (there isn't one in Maine silly!) & had lunch at this spot I've been dying to try for months now- Anju Noodle Bar. The weather was so freaking on point & sunny (it said rain aaaaall week) so we sat right by the window & oh right the food you ask?? JESUS!!! Everything was so so so good! 

Here are some of the pictures from Anju:

menu looking' mad yummy doe

pretty blooms

brussel sprouts holy moly..

asian styled mussels

tantanmen ramen mmm..

After an hour drive after lunch we finally made it to Portland! Instead of checking into our bed & breakfast right away though we drove 20-30 minutes north into Freeport, ME to check out Maine Beer Company! This has been on top of our to do list & we were so thrilled we went. 

We of course got "The ALL in" which was all 8 beers for $18. Todd did this by mistake but it was so great to see it all & drink it all (& be buzzed by it all/ feel it all)! Aside from the main picture I posted for this post here's what the tasting room looked like [:

simple & clean

cutest!

The bed & breakfast that we stayed at in Portland was called Mercury Inn. When I was cruising around online in January (yes, this originally was supposed to be a Valentine's Day getaway but blizzards suck) for a place to call home for the weekend I instantly fell in love with the design of the place! Black & whites with pops of bright color, nautical pieces that give it coastal vibes, the FREE locally sourced breakfast! 

lounge area

  

the sunniest!

another cool sitting area

our crazy comfy bed

claw foot tub + octopus shower curtain <3

no closet, no problem

meep! slippers for everyone

the innkeepers provided [asian] snacks!

snuggles are the best

I have to say our first B&B experience was pretty neat! The innkeepers Tim & Jake were super friendly, plus they had Donnie Darko on DVD >.<  I wish I took a picture of breakfast but there was a fluffy mushroom frittata, cheddary grits, little scones, THE best yogurt & honey in little jars, freshly baked bread.. & it was all homemade! 

One of our ALL-TIME FAVORITE spots to go to in Portland is DUCKFAT! Seriously, if you EVER get a chance to get up there.. go. to. duckfat! We had to wait about 25 minutes- not bad considering we've waited over an hour before. 

wait = photoshooooot!

tulips were everywhere in the city

craft root beer with spearmint on tap!

(we were still pretty drunky pants from maine beer co.)

good god.. heaven in a bowl! the POUTINE

roast pork belly panini

homemade doughnut holes w/ sea salt caramel

I'd like to take a moment to talk about the teensy, tiny cup of caramel there. SO FUCKING AMAZING. Those doughnuts were so outrageously yummy Todd said he wouldn't have any but ended up eating them all WITH me.. & all of the caramel.. like he chugged the caramel. This then caused a big tummy ache, ha!

Pit stop at Urban Outfitters:

all the grumpy cats!

love letters to todd <3

We then made way to Novare Res. Things were pretty busy in here- there was a really good DJ & there was a tap takeover by Allagash.

james bean, yes please

blurry but i need that 'beer' sign

Day 2: Sunday Funday. After check out we headed over to the Portland Museum of Art. I saw there was a maritime exhibit visiting from New York & figured it'd be super fitting for us to go. Todd wore his red knit beanie the whole time #teamzissou 

how cool is this mirror?

ships!

1800s european inspired american sculpture 

american landscapes

shipwreck!

GINORMOUS mobile

description of the next two paintings!

during the battle..

& after the battle.

he's tall.

Sunday Brunch! We headed to Central Provisions after working up an appetite at the museum. I love how new places are adopting the open kitchen concept.. This was such a hip little spot with small plates.

yum! 

kir royale & an oxbow ipa

cheeeeeese!

yellowfin tuna crudo.. drool!

best hash brown & prettiest egg

We made one last stroll around Downtown & peeped into Bull Moose Records for some CDs &... **drum roll please!** GERALDI my baby Hedgehog! Here he is hanging out getting his caffeine fix at Bard Coffee.

the most precious

The very end of our weekend getaway was spent in Limerick, ME. We went to visit Todd's grandfather who just had a birthday. His uncle & aunt were also home which was nice- lots of catching up & kitty loving from their 3 cats. Plus, we also scored some venison! Woot! 

^____^

So there you have it.. my weekend recap! I'm currently looking for food inspiration.. we had a huge bowl of pho each on our homecoming. Aiiiiight til next time, guys!